OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!

Edit: I had a nice little write up about how it has a old school feel and is better suited for women, then I went to 'grantica to grab a photo and saw it is old and marketed to women. Still sucks nonetheless and I'm done with this house.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Monkey, you once listed for us your top 5 complimented getters i believe it was, what about scents you like the most..what do you actually like? I'm curious, since well know what you dislike based on your posts lol Rose 31, Aventus and TV are the ones i know off hand you enjoy...give me a handfull of others.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by persianprince

Monkey, you once listed for us your top 5 complimented getters i believe it was, what about scents you like the most..what do you actually like? I'm curious, since well know what you dislike based on your posts lol Rose 31, Aventus and TV are the ones i know off hand you enjoy...give me a handfull of others.

"I Like"

by PuddleMonkey

I Like Armani Attitude
I Like Canali Black Diamond
I Like Comme des Garcons Kyoto
I Like Creed Aventus
I Like Frank No. 2
I Like Gucci Pour Homme II
I Like John Varvatos Artisan Black (All 20 minutes of it!)
I Like Le Labo Rose 31
I Like Le Labo Santal 33 (Sans the dill opening)
I Like Lubin Figaro
I Like Micallef AvantGarde
I Like Micallef Gaiac
I Like Mark Birley Charles Street (Corrected all the mistakes Tom Ford made with Tuscan Leather)
I Like Montale Wild Aoud
I Like Serge Lutans 5 O’Clock Au Gingerjicky
I Like Tom Ford Extreme
I Like Xerjoff Kobe
I Like Xerjoff Uden

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

"I Like"

by PuddleMonkey

I Like Armani Attitude
I Like Canali Black Diamond
I Like Comme des Garcons Kyoto
I Like Creed Aventus
I Like Frank No. 2
I Like Gucci Pour Homme II
I Like John Varvatos Artisan Black (All 20 minutes of it!)
I Like Le Labo Rose 31
I Like Le Labo Santal 33 (Sans the dill opening)
I Like Lubin Figaro
I Like Micallef AvantGarde
I Like Micallef GaiacI Like Mark Birley Charles Street (Corrected all the mistakes Tom Ford made with Tuscan Leather)
I Like Montale Wild Aoud
I Like Serge Lutans 5 O’Clock Au GingerjickyI Like Tom Ford Extreme
I Like Xerjoff Kobe
I Like Xerjoff Uden

Curious to try these two, actually sampling TL as i type this and not sure how i feel about it. Also, you left out Invasion Barbare, how could you not like this one...

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Being a noob, I am lacking all the backstory of these boards. I would love to know the reasons for everyone on this list. Mainly because I find I like many of the things you like but had planned to try many of those banned houses. (Okay, I know I hate Thierry Mugler since a bottle of A*Men spilled in my car in the 90s, and I spent subsequent years in a confined space unable to escape the impression that I was perpetually baking chocolate chip cookies.) What about the others?

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

I have to assume recent since it came from Luckyscent.

Perhaps, herein, lies the answer.... I think that when people get very passionate about this juice, they're talking about the old stuff. Consider what is likely one of the least angry reviews of the new stuff by a lover of the vintage....

Tabac Blond (Caron) ★ woody floral ... (much deleted)

And then sometime in the last few years, Fraysse instituted a smoking ban in Tabac Blond. The top note might seem deceptively right, smelling like a top-shelf whiskey, but once that’s gone, you’re left with a powdery, ambery rose related to the iteration of Arpège that Fraysse the younger worked on, but not as good. At least it’s not like the version we smelled in Harrods a few months ago: a cheap green chypre like Eau du Soir. I’m not sure what’s going on with these variations. All I know is I loved Tabac Blond. Can’t Fraysse instead go ruin some perfumes that weren’t interesting in the first place? TS

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Powdery, ambery rose? That would certainly fit the current eau de parfum - but the parfum? No. I discern great clouds of smoke in it. And the castoreum - mein gott, it is so thick. It is a very tactile experience for me, like most Caron parfums. In this instance, it is like wearing a short Roman military cloak made of leather that slaps against my thigh with each step that I take. The smoke is usually very particulate, but sometimes weaves between the leather and tobacco. And it lasts approximately 18 hours. This sort of experience is outside of the realm of much of perfumery, and is why Caron is my favourite house. I will believe in the degraded reformulation of Tabac Blond should I ever smell it, which I hope I never do, as it is sublime.

I believe that eau de parfum of Tabac Blond is routinely given under the name of parfum. The Perfumed Court, for example - if one looks at their costing for the extrait, it simply cannot work, is impossible, no matter how much they buy in bulk. But it works perfectly for the eau de parfum, still returning them a profit.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by Merely

Powdery, ambery rose? That would certainly fit the current eau de parfum - but the parfum? No. I discern great clouds of smoke in it. And the castoreum - mein gott, it is so thick. It is a very tactile experience for me, like most Caron parfums. In this instance, it is like wearing a short Roman military cloak made of leather that slaps against my thigh with each step that I take. The smoke is usually very particulate, but sometimes weaves between the leather and tobacco. And it lasts approximately 18 hours. This sort of experience is outside of the realm of much of perfumery, and is why Caron is my favourite house. I will believe in the degraded reformulation of Tabac Blond should I ever smell it, which I hope I never do, as it is sublime.

I believe that eau de parfum of Tabac Blond is routinely given under the name of parfum. The Perfumed Court, for example - if one looks at their costing for the extrait, it simply cannot work, is impossible, no matter how much they buy in bulk. But it works perfectly for the eau de parfum, still returning them a profit.

Thanks for this juicy bit of information! I won't even waste my time with anything but the true parfum, from an unquestionable source. Much obliged!!!

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by Brian Chambers

Being a noob, I am lacking all the backstory of these boards. I would love to know the reasons for everyone on this list. Mainly because I find I like many of the things you like but had planned to try many of those banned houses. (Okay, I know I hate Thierry Mugler since a bottle of A*Men spilled in my car in the 90s, and I spent subsequent years in a confined space unable to escape the impression that I was perpetually baking chocolate chip cookies.) What about the others?

I'll break them all down when I'm not soaring like an eagle. For now I'll explain the first one, Amouage.

There's no doubting the quality of Amouage. The ingredients and longevity of their scents are top notch. The scents themselves however, no so much. Opus II has a urine note. Opus IV smells like carbonated bubble gum. As mentioned above Memoir Man is a mint version of Fou d'Absinthe, with a much higher price tag. Gold Man smells like Chanel #5. Epic Man is a EPIC FAIL. Ciel Man is a $265.00 bottle of liquid soap. Silver Man reeks of cheap after shave. Reflection Man actually smells good, but it's too reminiscent of a softer Le Male.

Other than the quality ingredients Amouage does nothing to justify the price of a bottle, their entire line is a big mixed bowl of bleh.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

I'd have to agree mostly with your banned list. I haven't tried enough of Amouage or Bond no. 9 to make a decision, though. I was trying to think if there was anything good from Caron--I sort of like Le 3 Homme, but it gives me a headache. Also, if I didn't have access to Royal Scottish Lavender, Arome 3, Caldey Island, or Oxford & Cambridge, I'd probably go for Caron PuH for a quick, cheap lavender (nonetheless with pastry/plastic vanilla notes).

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

AGree with a lot of PM's views on frags, though I have done a 180 and now LOVE Musc Ravageur (after initially hating it based on the opening notes). I still hate the opening notes but now LOVE the drydown.

Also New Haarlem is awesome, so I'm not banning Bond no 9 just yet. Roucel is a genius.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Powdery, ambery rose? That would certainly fit the current eau de parfum - but the parfum? No.

I believe that eau de parfum of Tabac Blond is routinely given under the name of parfum.

Exactly! This would also explain why practically all rantings about a Tabac Blond reformulation came from the U.S. It only takes one Eau de Parfum aluminium cannister to arrive in the U.S. and samples and decants being spread under the name of Parfum. Did the receiving party check the fragrance in the cannister when it arrived? Do they know the difference between the Parfum and the Eau-de-Parfum (a different formulation)? I only buy from Caron and I know my stuff.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by DNT

PuddleMonkey, in your breakdown of Amouage, you left out jubilation 25, IMO the best from the line. Would love to hear your thoughts on it and other houses on the black list.

Fair enough. I liked the berries in the top notes, very nicely done and enjoyed them immensely. Didn't care too much for the amber/opoponax dry down. It's not that the base is bad, its more so the berries going away and my personal feelings about amber/vanilla/tonka base notes being abused by perfumers who are clearly out of ideas. Personally I see it as cheating, an easy way out as it's really hard to f*ck up (although somehow Atelier managed it).

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Redneck makes a good point about vintage vs. current...I have a tiny decant of what I believe is vintage parfum Tabac Blond that is golden sex in a bottle, and another recent one that makes me think of a stale dirty ashtray. one must savor the beauty and cannot cling too tightly, I suppose...

"Like a lobster with a pearl in its claw, the beet held the jasmine firmly without crushing or obscuring it. Beet lifted jasmine, the way a bullnecked partner lifts a ballerina, and the pair came on stage on citron's fluty cue. As if jasmine were a collection of beautiful paintings, beet hung it in the galleries of the nose, insured it against fire or theft, threw a party to celebrate it. Citron mailed the invitations." Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins p. 189

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Thanks for the explanation. I just recently got samples of all the Amouage men's scents, and I have to say that I completely agree. In each one, I detected some good ideas in there somewhere--but the ideas didn't come together, and the base in all Amouages seem very perfumey to me. Just not my thing.

Then I tried Jubilation XXV. It was the last one I sampled. By then I was fairly certain it would be a waste of time, but I was completely wrong. I loved it. I wore it to work, and it kept me happy the entire day. I had the weird impression that it was working really hard to please me--like all the accords in the blend were sparkling to get my attention. And for what it costs, it should work hard But I will definitely be buying that one next and not even thinking about the price. I think it's good stuff.

Originally Posted by PuddleMonkey

I'll break them all down when I'm not soaring like an eagle. For now I'll explain the first one, Amouage.

There's no doubting the quality of Amouage. The ingredients and longevity of their scents are top notch. The scents themselves however, no so much. Opus II has a urine note. Opus IV smells like carbonated bubble gum. As mentioned above Memoir Man is a mint version of Fou d'Absinthe, with a much higher price tag. Gold Man smells like Chanel #5. Epic Man is a EPIC FAIL. Ciel Man is a $265.00 bottle of liquid soap. Silver Man reeks of cheap after shave. Reflection Man actually smells good, but it's too reminiscent of a softer Le Male.

Other than the quality ingredients Amouage does nothing to justify the price of a bottle, their entire line is a big mixed bowl of bleh.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

I believe that eau de parfum of Tabac Blond is routinely given under the name of parfum. The Perfumed Court, for example - if one looks at their costing for the extrait, it simply cannot work, is impossible, no matter how much they buy in bulk. But it works perfectly for the eau de parfum, still returning them a profit.

Just wondering, how reliable is Luckyscent when it comes to this? I've just ordered a bottle of their extrait ($100 for 7.5ml), so is it likely I'm getting the real deal? Colour-wise, their extrait (from the website) appears a richer colour than the EDP.
(Not that I mind trotting along to Harrods to get it direct from the urn.)
Cheers.

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

The point with Caron is that you can bring down the price per ml a lot by ordering larger quantities. So for a 500 ml refill the price comes down to a range of 1.4-1.6 Euros per ml. I once was sent an EdP instead of an Extrait. I know my stuff, so I got it replaced. If the receiver does not and resells it as Extrait...

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

Originally Posted by casism

I believe that eau de parfum of Tabac Blond is routinely given under the name of parfum. The Perfumed Court, for example - if one looks at their costing for the extrait, it simply cannot work, is impossible, no matter how much they buy in bulk. But it works perfectly for the eau de parfum, still returning them a profit.

Just wondering, how reliable is Luckyscent when it comes to this? I've just ordered a bottle of their extrait ($100 for 7.5ml), so is it likely I'm getting the real deal? Colour-wise, their extrait (from the website) appears a richer colour than the EDP.
(Not that I mind trotting along to Harrods to get it direct from the urn.)
Cheers.

My best bet withe extraits is to order directly from Caron. I think Lucky Scent sells the 7.5 extrait that comes in a prepacked box.

"No elegance is possible without it...perfume is a part of you." Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

Re: OMG! OMG! OMG! Tabac Blond!!!

I LOVE the extrait, but I don't care for the EdP at all. The extrait has an opulence, a smoky leather facet that the EdP does not have. The latter is more like nice cigarette smoke initially, before it fairly quickly reminds me of Caron's Alpona, a shower-gel like association that comes to my mind, fairly cheap to my nose.